


...But It Got Better

by Writer_Geekgirl



Series: Castiel and Dean: An AU Love Story [20]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s04e17 It's a Terrible Life, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, M/M, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 04:30:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16360832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Geekgirl/pseuds/Writer_Geekgirl
Summary: In the ongoing series in which the Winchesters visit alternate realities, Dean is trapped in the universe in which he is Dean Smith and works in an office building. Castiel desperately searches for him before Dean is lost forever.Although most of the works in this series are standalone, this one wraps up a cliffhanger introduced in "It's Still a Terrible Life."This work is part of the Destiel Promptober in which there is a different AU theme for each day in October. The AU for the day is Mashup. This one combines the Sandover universe with wings.





	...But It Got Better

Castiel slammed his fist on the library table so hard that the wood cracked. "He's been gone for a month, Sam. A month. And we are no closer to finding out where the hell he is than we were four weeks ago. We have his body, but not his soul."

Sam flinched at the sound of the breaking wood, "Cas, I know you're scared. I'm scared too. We'll find him."

"He could be literally anywhere, Sam. At any point in a timeline. In any reality. I…" Castiel shuddered. He said more quietly, "I'm sorry, Sam. I know we're doing the best we can. It's just unnerving that I can't feel him anywhere. Usually, when he's in trouble like with the Mark, I can at least sense him. There's nothing."

Rowena said sweetly as she came into the library, "And that profound bond the two of you have is how we're going to find him, love."

Sam looked at Rowena, "You found a spell?"

"I did at that, Samuel. I believe I can send Cas towards Dean and then 24 hours later snap him back by using their bond. I'm afraid it will not be pleasant, Castiel. It's gonna take a lot out of you to travel like that."

"Can I go with him?" Sam looked worriedly at Castiel.

"No, Samuel. Castiel isn't going to be strong enough to carry the both of you. Plus, I might need your help when it comes to pulling him back."

"Send me to him, Rowena," Castiel growled.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We have a little preparation to do."

\------------------------------------

Dean walked into his apartment. He dropped his briefcase on the floor. After grabbing a beer from the fridge, he sat at the kitchen table to write in his daily journal. His memory continued to be a little spotty during this reality shift, and he wanted to write down his thoughts every day. It made him feel still connected to himself. Everything else around him was not real.

As he flipped open the notebook, he wrote Day 28. Twenty-eight days. He'd been stuck in Sandover Bridge and Iron for twenty-eight long days. 

His only solace was that he and the Castiel here had become fast friends. He was afraid after their date ended by him having a meltdown, Castiel might be awkward around him. Castiel had taken it in stride. They were going to go bowling the next day at noon. Castiels in all universes deserved better than him. He sighed.

It was going to be another boring Friday night. After jotting down his thoughts for the day, Dean finished his beer and headed to the shower. He dropped his clothes in a heap on the floor before getting in. He relaxed as the water sluiced over him. He felt the tension start to drain from his body. He had managed to survive another week without murdering Adler. That, in and of itself, was an achievement.

Dean was startled when he heard a loud crashing noise and the shattering of glass in the living room. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He glanced around the room for a weapon before settling on the plunger. It wasn't much, but at least it had the Ewww factor.

He stepped cautiously into the living room. His eyes widened as he saw Castiel lying unconscious on top of what used to be his glass coffee table. He was face down with his wings limp on either side of him. Dean said quietly, "Cas?"

Castiel moaned slightly. Dean bit his bottom lip before running to his bedroom to slip sweatpants and shoes on. He was going to have to get Castiel out of the pile of glass without damaging either of them any more than Castiel already was.

He walked back out and knelt beside Castiel. Six-foot-tall Castiel was difficult to carry on a good day. Six-foot-tall Cas plus wings would be nearly impossible. He said softly again, "Cas?"

"Dean?" Castiel said wearily. He tried to push himself up, but Dean stopped him. 

"Let me get some towels, Cas. Don't move. I want to get you away from the glass." Dean raced up the hallway and returned with towels. He put them under Castiel best as he could before helping him up slowly. Castiel staggered against him as Dean helped him to the kitchen counter. "Can you lean against that, Cas, while I get your trench coat off?"

As soon as Dean let go of him, Castiel started to sway and fall. Dean grabbed him again. He frowned at all the bits of glass dusting Castiel's trench coat and hair. At least the trench coat protected most of him from getting sliced and diced. However, he had some cuts on his face and hands. 

"We have to get you out of these clothes, Cas."

Castiel coughed and a drizzle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. He rasped, "Are you ok, Dean?"

"Am I ok? You look half dead."

"That's probably a reasonable estimate." Castiel became aware of his wings and stared at them. He said tiredly, "Can you see them, Dean?"

Dean really looked at Castiel's wings for the first time. He could tell they were damaged. Skin showed through in some places and many feathers were gone. He also saw the downy growth of new feathers in some locations. To him, it looked like the wings were slowly healing. He could also see some flecks of glass scattered among the feathers. "Yeah, Cas. They're awesome."

"This is not the way I wanted you to see them for the first time. I can't put them away and my trench coat is a mess." Castiel shrugged out of the shredded trench coat. Castiel almost fell over again, and Dean caught him. Dean managed to get the remnants of Castiel's suit jacket and shirt off too. Dean reached over to pull his first aid kit out of the drawer. He wiped the cuts on Castiel's face and hands with antiseptic wipes and put antibiotics on them. He didn't know if Castiel needed that or not, but he wasn't taken any chances.

"Um, Cas. I'm going to have to touch your wings. There's glass."

Castiel rasped, "They'll be fine, Dean."

"No, they really won't be. I'll be careful."

Castiel looked like he wanted to argue, but he just sighed and slumped instead.

"Can you extend it, Cas?"

Castiel extended the left wing and stood there with his eyes closed as Dean picked out the pieces of glass. Castiel made a noise that almost sounded like a kitten mewling. Dean said quietly, "You are my Cas, right?"

"Rowena sent me after you, so I would assume so," Castiel said in a hoarse whisper. "We'll return home 24 hours after I was sent here. I need to transport your soul back to our reality."

Dean inspected the left wing. Confident he had gotten all the glass out of that one, he gestured towards the other wing. Castiel extended it with a sigh. By the time Dean was done, Castiel was shuffling awkwardly. 

"Can you lie down with them out?" 

"Yes, Dean." Castiel folded his wings close to his body. "I can't put them away. I don't know why they are out. I wish they weren't."

"You're still about to fall over. Let's get you to bed. I'm so friggin' happy to see you, man. I thought I was going to be stuck here forever. And my job sucks."

Dean let Castiel lean against him as he got him to his bedroom. After Castiel sat on the bed, Dean removed his shoes. He hesitated before saying, "There might be glass on your pants somewhere. I'm going to take them off, ok?"

Castiel shrugged, obviously just wanting to sleep. Dean helped him ditch the pants, leaving him in his white boxers. After ensuring Castiel was comfortable on the bed, Dean went out to clean up the remains of the broken table. He paused every few minutes to make sure that Castiel was still sleeping in his bed. He was paranoid that Castiel would disappear at any moment. After he got the worst of the damage picked up, Dean grabbed a granola bar and wolfed it down before going to the bedroom. As he sat down on the opposite edge of the bed, Castiel stirred.

"Shhh, Cas. It's just me." Dean settled on the edge of the bed, looking away from Castiel and giving him as much room as he could. He just started to relax when Castiel's arm shot out and pulled him close. Castiel's right wing settled on top of Dean. Dean muttered, "So, I'm the little spoon. Okay, then," Dean couldn't fall asleep and tried to resist the temptation but couldn't help himself a moment later when he brushed his fingertips over Castiel's wing. Castiel let out a whimper in his sleep. Dean pulled his hand away.

When Dean woke up in the morning, the wing was still draped over him. He knew Castiel was awake though. He gently rolled over to face him. Dean was relieved that Castiel looked a lot less close to death today. "Morning, sunshine."

"Hello, Dean." The corner of Castiel's mouth quirked up in a tiny smile. "I don't remember much of my landing here last night. I think I broke something, I'm sorry."

"Doesn't matter. You said in twenty-four hours we'd be out of here. Are Sam and everyone else okay?"

"Besides from frantically looking for you, they're fine. Rowena figured out a spell."

"How'd she know where to send you?"

Dean could feel the feathers fluff on Castiel's wings a little. Castiel said quietly, "Our bond."

Dean kissed Castiel gently. All the cuts and gashes that were on Castiel's face the previous night were healed. "Our bond is something special, isn't it? To angels, I mean. It's very special to me."

"Yes. People have referred to it many times. Hester. Balthazar. Kip. Crowley. Naomi. Among others. It's rare and usually ill-advised except between angels."

"Why?" Dean kissed Castiel's neck and shoulder.

"Difference in life spans. An angel only bonds once in their lifetime. And when you consider how long you'll live versus how long I theoretically could live, you can see wherein the problem might lie. But, I don't follow angel guidelines well. Plus, with our lives, I probably won't live much longer than you anyway."

Dean said, "I'm sorry, Cas."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I wouldn't change what we have for anything."

"Why didn't you ever tell me? When did it start?"

Castiel said, "I'd like to be romantic and say it was the first time I laid a hand on you in Hell. But it wasn't. When I rebelled, when I banished Zachariah and took you to the prophet's house, I put my hand on you and sent you to Sam. I thought I would have nothing to lose. I cared for you deeply, and I was about to get obliterated by Raphael. It was very presumptuous of me to do so with asking you. It was wrong."

"So, that's why you didn't tell me about it?" 

"That and your aversion to having chick-flick moments." Castiel smiled. "I'm so happy that I found you. That Rowena could send me to you. I don't regret the bond."

"What's going to happen to you when I die?"

"Beyond missing you horribly, nothing. I just won't ever do it again with anyone else. I can't feel this closeness to anyone else."

Dean frowned.

Castiel raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't have wasted it on me," Dean huffed.

Castiel let out a small laugh, which became a loud laugh, and finally resulted in Castiel laughing so hard that tears were streaming out of his eyes. "Dean, I rebelled for you. I fell for you. I have been tortured, I have given up armies, I turned my back on Heaven, all of it for you. I came back from the Empty for you. Would I have done any of that if I thought doing anything with you was a waste? You are a dumb ass."

"Tell me what you really think," Dean snorted.

"I love you. Always will."

Dean reached over to stroke one of Castiel's wings. Castiel shivered. "We can't, Dean."

"You're not ready?"

"Oh, I'm ready, but there's another Dean inside of you, and this is his body. Your body is in the bunker being taken care of by Alex and Rowena. Alex took a sabbatical from work to keep you going."

Dean frowned, "I cause trouble wherever I go."

"I'm going to have to carry your soul with me the same way you took Benny with you. But that's not for another 12 hours and 32 minutes." Castiel rolled off the bed. "This world is like the one the other me told you where use grace to not manifest your wings. I didn't have enough to put them away last night." Castiel concentrated and a blue glow surrounded him as the wings disappeared. He winced a bit, "Takes more grace than I anticipated to keep them hidden. I don't have enough grace left to fix my clothes, so I'll need to borrow something to wear."

"We could just stay in bed until time to go," Dean suggested.

"I don't think that would end well, Dean. Or maybe it would end entirely too well. The temptation would be too great."

Dean sighed and pulled some sweatpants and a t-shirt out for Castiel.

After getting dressed, Castiel asked, "What was different about this reality shift?"

"Nothing that I can tell."

"There is something near us that feels Enochian in nature." Castiel started to search the apartment. He finally stood in front of a painting of the New York City skyline. He lifted up the picture to find a sigil painted on the wall. Castiel tilted his head. "It's a sigil that has already been triggered. I believe this prevented you from leaving when it was time. It's a binding spell. It's ineffective now and won't impact us leaving."

"Who would put that there?" Dean looked confused. "It would have to be someone who knew I was here."

"And in a relatively short period of time since you usually return within a day of arriving when you skip realities. This is serious, Dean. At least previously we could assume that you'd come back eventually."

A soft knock on the door startled them. Castiel looked at Dean questioningly. 

Dean said, "Crap, it's this reality's you."

"I'll go wait in your bedroom." Castiel walked away.

Dean answered the door. "Hi, Cas." He hugged this reality's Castiel briefly. 

"Are you ready to go, Dean?"

"I'm going to have to give you a rain check. Something came up. I'm sorry, buddy." Dean felt guilty. This was the last time he would see the man who had become his friend over the last month.

Alternate Castiel's spine stiffened as he looked over Dean's shoulder. 

His Castiel growled, "Get away from Dean."

He looked startled over his shoulder, "Cas, it's just this world's Castiel. He's not a threat."

His Castiel growled, "He's an angel."

Dean looked confused at the man standing next to him. "Is that true, Castiel?" 

The alternate Castiel said, "He can't leave. My Dean isn't strong enough to survive without him yet."

Dean's brow furrowed, "What?"

"My Dean's soul was damaged in an attack. I've been healing him slowly. When you arrived here, I realized that you could heal him when your souls intertwined. He needs you."

His Castiel growled, "You almost caused my Dean to be stuck here permanently. He has a family -- a mother, a brother, an adopted son, me. Did you realize that someone was waiting for him?"

Dean said, "My mixed-up memories, was that you? I didn't know which Dean I was half the time. I thought I was going to crazy. Did you mess with my memories?"

Alternate Castiel said, "I had to. I'm sorry."

His Castiel growled, "That's not good enough."

Dean said, "Wait a minute, Cas. We've done some crazy stunts to protect each other. I understand his desperation."

"He could have made me lose you."

Alternate Castiel ran his fingers through his hair, his shoulders tense. "If you leave now, I'm not sure Dean will recover the rest of the way on his own."

"If we don't leave, I cannot get Dean home to his family," Castiel retorted.

Dean looked between the Castiels. "Is there anything we can do to help your Dean, but still let me go home to my family. What exactly happened to him?"

Alternate Castiel sighed, "Angels happened. To try to get me to come back to Heaven, Naomi took him, tortured him, and left him a mangled mess. They transformed someone to look like me and attacked him to the brink of death before healing him. They did so over and over. I looked for him for weeks before they released him. After he returned, he had a PTSD or anxiety attack every time he saw me. I made him forget me, so I could stay close and heal him. He went back to work, and I set myself up as his assistant. As long as he stays away from things angel, he only has nightmares--bad nightmares, but only nightmares. When you occupied him, I could see the mangled edges of his soul starting to reconnect. I know I shouldn't have stopped you from leaving, but I put up the sigil in both the office and your apartment and hoped that you wouldn't zap home on the drive between them. I'm not going to try to stop you from leaving now. I apologize that my actions have caused you distress."

"But he's somewhat better?" Dean asked.

"He is, but he's also the reason you've been having anxiety attacks whenever we got too close," Alternate Castiel said.

Castiel looked at Alternate Castiel. "I understand doing whatever it takes to get Dean back. I can't imagine what you are going through being near him without him knowing who you are."

"I betrayed him by altering his memories."

Dean said, "He'll understand."

Castiel squinted and tilted his head. "I think I have an idea. It is somewhat dangerous to my Dean. In the past, I've used the energy of a soul as a battery. We could siphon some energy from my Dean and transfer it to your Dean. It won't be a cure-all, but maybe with the additional energy, he'll heal faster and more completely. I'll only do this if Dean is willing. Dean, it will weaken you for a while until the energy regenerates."

"If you think it can help him, I'll take the risk," Dean replied.

Alternate Castiel gave a hopeful look. "I appreciate this more than you will ever know."

Dean glanced at his Castiel, "I think I know."

The trio watched television quietly until a half hour before Dean and Castiel were supposed to go. After Dean laid down on the couch, Castiel sliced his arm with an angel blade and said the incantation to pull Dean's soul inside of him, just as Dean had done for Benny in Purgatory. He then touched the other Dean's body to transfer some of the soul energy back.

Precisely twenty-four hours after he arrived, Castiel felt the crackling of energy surround him as he returned to his reality. He started to fall to his knees as he landed in the bunker before Sam caught him and held him up. Castiel said tiredly, "Take me to Dean, please."

Sam carried Castiel to Dean's bedroom and placed him on the bed next to him. Rowena sat next to the bed in a chair, watching Dean. Castiel touched Dean's forehead and repeated the incantation to transfer Dean's soul out of his body and into his own. Castiel passed out as soon as he finished. A few moments later, Dean's eyes flew open. "Cas?"

Rowena clucked, "He's ok, Dean. Just asleep. The spell uses quite a bit of his grace."

Sam said, "He was unconscious for three days when he teleported back in time. He'll probably sleep for a while."

Dean waited impatiently for Castiel to wake up. He got tired easy and slept a lot, but felt no other ill effects from being used as a battery. When Castiel finally woke up two days later, Dean was sitting in a chair next to the bed. 

Castiel rasped, "Hello, Dean."

Dean smiled, "Cas!" He leaned over and kissed him gently. "We're home."

Castiel snorted, "I knew that before you did."

"How's the grace doing?"

"Not that great. I'm hungry, and I think I need to urinate."

Dean laughed, "Such a romantic."

Castiel rolled out of bed and pulled Dean into his arms. "I'll show you romance, assbutt, just as soon as I get my grace back."

\------------------------------------------------

In an apartment in a reality far away, another Dean sat up and murmured, "Cas?"

His Castiel looked at him worriedly, "You remember?"

"Yeah, angels are real dicks. Except for you. Always except for you."


End file.
